The latest generation of apprentices have been praised at William Davis Homes’ annual awards ceremony.
Twenty-year-old Seb Smith was named ‘Apprentice of the Year’ after following in his father’s footsteps by starting a career in plumbing. Seb is now a fourth-year apprentice plumber and gas engineer with the Loughborough-based company.
He received the winner’s trophy from William Davis Homes Managing Director Guy Higgins who described Seb as a popular member of the team who takes great pride in his work.
Seb, who attends Leicester College, said he was delighted to win: “All the hard work has paid off and I’m really pleased to be with William Davis Homes who are an amazing company. They make sure all the apprentices are supported. I’ve made some really good friends here.”
Seb decided to become a plumber because his dad Rick had also been in the trade and his mum Sherry encouraged him to pursue the career.
Runner-up was 20-year-old Brandon Jackson, a fourth-year apprentice electrician, who thanked mentor David Oliver for his support. David is a previous winner of the overall award.
William Davis Homes’ apprenticeship scheme has been running for more than 50 years and has received many awards during that time. In the last few months it has been recognised at the national Housebuilder Awards and the East Midlands Property Dinner.
The scheme is helping to counter skills shortages in the construction industry. There are currently 38 trade apprentices along with six technical trainees who work in the head office in areas such as surveying, engineering and data analysis.
Guy Higgins praised the skills and hard work of the company’s apprentices – as well as the support of the mentors.
“There was a record number of applications this year, which reflects the success of the scheme and the hard work of the whole team,” said Mr Higgins. He also praised Apprenticeship Manager Gary Long who recently collected a national award on behalf of the team.
A large proportion of the company’s current workforce started as William Davis Homes apprentices. On average, around nine out of ten stay with the company – higher than the national average.
